Olympic Faces of China in Sochi

A RESPECTABLE PLAYER: Liu Qiuhong, 25, carries the national flag during the closing ceremony on February 23. Liu's struggled tenaciously during her event, in spite of a foot injury she had not yet recovered from. "Winning a medal is not so important. I look forward to the future," Liu said (GONG BING)
GIVING IT EVERYTHING: Liang Wenhao (left), 21, speeds up in the match on February 22. As the world champion of men's 500m short-track speed skating in 2010, he failed to claim a medal in Sochi. "I have regrets, but I am sure I will earn more medals in the future," Liang said (GONG BING)
STRUGGLE: Wu Dajing (left), 19, competing against Viktor An of Russia on February 22. Wu claimed the silver medal in the men's 500m short-track speed skating, only 204 milliseconds slower than An. "Compared to An, I have no experience, but I can defeat him in four years," Wu said (GONG BING)
STRATEGIC DECISIONS: China's men's curling team compete on February 21. Although they lost 4:6 to Sweden after overtime in the bronze medal play-off, they still made history for China in the event. "If we had a massive base of talent like table tennis, we would have more outstanding players available for curling," team leader Liu Rui commented (WANG XIAGUANG)
PODIUM POSITION: Fan Kexin, 20, celebrates while holding the national flag on February 21. She won the silver medal in the women's 1000m short-track speed skating finals with a time of 1:30.811, only 50 milliseconds slower than South Korean athlete and gold-medalist Park Seung-Hi. "It was my first time in the Olympics. The strongest feeling was that I couldn't give up until the last minute," Fan said (XIAO YANGYI)
FUTURE STAR: Li Zijun, 17, performs on the rink on February 20. The athlete's first Olympic appearance ended in her ranking 14th in the women's singles figure skating. "I need to take the time to practice after going back; I can reinvent myself at next Olympics," Li said (WANG LILI)
HIGH FLYER: Jia Zongyang, 22, performing on February 18. Jia fell on his final jump but still managed to take bronze in the men's freestyle skiing aerials final. "I'm sure I will do better in the future," Jia said (XINHUA)
FIGHTING CHANCE: Wang Bingyu (middle), 29, in the match on February 17. As the bronze medalists at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, China's women's curling team lost 6:10 to Switzerland and failed to make the semi-final. "I am very regretful, but that is part of a curler's life; I love this game and I will continue to play," team leader Wang said (GONG BING)
UNDISPUTED NO.1: Zhou Yang, 22, celebrates after she won the gold medal with her time of 2:19.140 on February 15. Zhou successfully defended her 1,500-meter short track speed skating title to give China its third gold at Sochi Games. "One Olympic gold medal (in the women's 1,500m) is not enough for me," Zhou said (WANG HAOFEI)
EXCITING: Li Yan (right), 47, hugs Zhou Yang to congratulate her for her gold medal on February 15. As a famous coach and a former outstanding athlete, Li accompanied China's short-track speed skating team to both Vancouver and Sochi. Li Yan's win bumped China's winter Olympic total to 6 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze. "I have always had a deep passion for short-track speeding skating. No matter what happened, our team's persistence did not waver," Li said (WANG YUGUO)
NEVER GIVE UP: Xu Mengtao, 23, during the award ceremony on February 15. China failed to win the women's aerials gold medal and Xu, the 2013 world champion, had to settle for silver. "Please believe in me. Let's see what happens at the next Olympics four years from now," Xu said (WANG LILI)
ACCIDENT: Zhang Xin, 28, loses her balance in women's freestyle skiing aerials the qualification rounds on February 14. She failed to earn a place in the final. "I am not satisfied with myself. It isn't me. I wish I could continue to make contribution to my country," Zhang said (XINHUA)
IDOL ON ICE: Li Nina (right), 31, waves to the audience with a bright smile on February 14. As a four-time Olympic veteran and two-time silver medalist in women's aerials in Turin and Vancouver, Li finished fourth on account of a fall. "When I stood up I decided to smile to the audience and my teammates to ease their worry," Li said (LI XIN)
CONCENTRATION: Yan Han, 17, shows the audience his sharp, focused eyes on February 14. He ranked seventh in men's singles figure skating, China's best result in the event in 16 years. "I want to perform even better in the future. I will move forward step by step and come back for the next Olympics," Yan said (GONG BING)
BREAKTHROUGH: Zhang Hong, 25, during the women's 1,000 meter speed skating event that she went on to win gold in on February 13. Her historic win ended a 34-year wait for gold for China in the event. "I prefer to do things little by little, one step at a time. I believe I can be somebody," Zhang said (WANG HAOFEI)
FIRST GOLD MEDAL: Li Jianrou, 27, holds up the national flag and cries after her event on February 13. Li triumphed in the women's 500 meters short track speed skating. Leading athlete and teammate Wang Meng was unable to attend Sochi due to an ankle injury which bleakened the team's gold-medal winning expectations. "I've always believed in myself. I skated just like I do in my daily training," Li said (WANG LILI)
STYLISH SNOWBOARDER: Zhang Yiwei, 21, expresses his excitement on February 12. He was in second place after his first run in the men's snowboarding half-pipe event, though he eventually finished sixth. "I just focus on myself and practice the more difficult moves, challenging the established 'big shots'," Zhang said (WEI ZHENG)
LAST DANCE: Tong Jian (left) and Pang Qing, both 34, compete during the figure skating pairs free skating on February 12. The four-time Olympic veteran pair narrowly missed a podium position and finished fourth. "We are not legends. We will skate our last performance for the people who stand with us from the beginning till the end," Tong said (WANG LILI)
OLYMPIC SPIRIT: Wang Beixing (right), 28, skates hand in hand with gold medalist Lee Sang-Hwa from South Korea, after their event on February 11. The three-time Olympic veteran finished seventh in the women's 500m speed skating final. "I am very sad today, but I think carrying forward the spirit of good sportsmanship is more important," Wang said (WANG HAOFEI)
YOUNGEST ATHLETE: Peng Cheng (left), 16, and four-time Olympian Zhang Hao, 29, show off their elegant movements in the match on February 11. Together they secured the eighth place in the pair skating event. "I feel so lucky to be paired up with him, and I hope I will perform better in the World Championship in March," Peng said (GONG BING)
FIRST MEDAL: Han Tianyu, 17, celebrates with the national flag after his match on February 10. Han claimed the silver medal in men's 1,500m short track speed skating with a time of 2:15.055, only 70 milliseconds slower than Charles Hamelin, who took the gold for Canada. "Since it's my first Olympic Winter Games, I am a little bit nervous and can't think very much," Han said (WANG HAOFEI)
FLAG BEARER: Figure skater Tong Jian, 34, leads the Chinese delegation while holding the national flag during the opening ceremony on February 7. "I will remember it fondly for the rest of my life," Tong said (GONG BING)